Mission statement: On this blog we explore why homeschooling can be a better option for children and families than a traditional classroom setting. We'll also explore homeschooling issues in general, educational thoughts, family issues, and some other random stuff.

Monday, February 07, 2011

Is College a Bad Public Good?

Politicians often justify spending our tax dollars on colleges and universities saying they are a public good. That be "investing" taxes in advance education there will be a huge return with higher future earnings.

----------Publicly provided education was among those examples. Education, like other public services, is rife with special interests and political payoffs. For years, the Pope Center has written about the scandals,administrative bloat, dismal results, and excessive costs that plague our public universities. Indeed, the education that college graduates receive is sometimes so one-sided that it may reduce graduates’ contributions to a well-run community rather than increase them. Higher education looks a lot like a bad public good.
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I'm sure there won't be a serious call to defund government universities, at least not in the near future, but her column has several good thoughts and is worth reading.